<p>The complex interplay between biotic and abiotic factors, believed to be responsible for several oak declines in European oak stands during the last three decades, remains poorly understood. Hence, this study aims at clarifying the temporal process of oak declines, as well as identifying individual tree and environmental variables that increase the risk of oak mortality. The study was performed in one of the few areas in northern Europe still holding high densities of old oaks (<em>Quercus robur </em>L<em>.</em>). Cross dating revealed that most trees had died during the last decade. Averaged chronologies and multiple chronological clustering suggested that the onset of the oak decline happened in 1992, when a severe drought took place. Two of the sites showed a rather short time period of heavily reduced growth prior to death, most likely caused by an insect defoliation in combination with a mildew infection of the replacement shoots. Environmental variables presented a rather weak influence on oak mortality. The results support the idea of attributing oak mortality to a combination of long- and short-term stresses, and emphasize the importance of including present as well as past factors when analysing the causes of oak declines.</p>

The complex interplay between biotic and abiotic factors, believed to be responsible for several oak declines in European oak stands during the last three decades, remains poorly understood. Hence, this study aims at clarifying the temporal process of oak declines, as well as identifying individual tree and environmental variables that increase the risk of oak mortality. The study was performed in one of the few areas in northern Europe still holding high densities of old oaks (Quercus robur L.). Cross dating revealed that most trees had died during the last decade. Averaged chronologies and multiple chronological clustering suggested that the onset of the oak decline happened in 1992, when a severe drought took place. Two of the sites showed a rather short time period of heavily reduced growth prior to death, most likely caused by an insect defoliation in combination with a mildew infection of the replacement shoots. Environmental variables presented a rather weak influence on oak mortality. The results support the idea of attributing oak mortality to a combination of long- and short-term stresses, and emphasize the importance of including present as well as past factors when analysing the causes of oak declines.

3 Abstract The doctor thesis is composed of two major studies, both of them focused on the mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). The first part deals with the verification of the prognostic influence of Mantle Cell Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (MIPI) and of the proliferative activity in 235 patients with MCL diagnosed in 1996-2008 in the Czech Republic. This population study was performed in the collaboration with the Czech Lymphoma Study Group. The clinical data of patients were completed in April 2012. The diagnosis of MCL was confirmed by our central histopathologic examination of pretherapeutic histological samples. The median overall survival (OS) was 47 months, median progression free survival (PFS) was 22 months. We demonstrated the influence of proliferative activity, MIPI and of the therapy type (intensive/non-intensive) on OS and PFS in univariate and multivariate analysis. Using univariate analysis we showed the prognostic influence of aggressive/other cytomorphological variants of MCL, nodal/extranodal localization of primary sample and also of the variants of MIPI - s-MIPI, MIPIb and a completely new variant of MIPI - combined MIPI. The prognostic influence of growth pattern and of the results of immunohistochemical reaction with CD23, CD5 and cyclin D1 antibodies were not confirmed. The other...

3 Abstract The doctor thesis is composed of two major studies, both of them focused on the mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). The first part deals with the verification of the prognostic influence of Mantle Cell Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (MIPI) and of the proliferative activity in 235 patients with MCL diagnosed in 1996-2008 in the Czech Republic. This population study was performed in the collaboration with the Czech Lymphoma Study Group. The clinical data of patients were completed in April 2012. The diagnosis of MCL was confirmed by our central histopathologic examination of pretherapeutic histological samples. The median overall survival (OS) was 47 months, median progression free survival (PFS) was 22 months. We demonstrated the influence of proliferative activity, MIPI and of the therapy type (intensive/non-intensive) on OS and PFS in univariate and multivariate analysis. Using univariate analysis we showed the prognostic influence of aggressive/other cytomorphological variants of MCL, nodal/extranodal localization of primary sample and also of the variants of MIPI - s-MIPI, MIPIb and a completely new variant of MIPI - combined MIPI. The prognostic influence of growth pattern and of the results of immunohistochemical reaction with CD23, CD5 and cyclin D1 antibodies were not confirmed. The other...